Nothing I Deserve
by TheCrosserOfTheMoon
Summary: A story of Ulrich and Odd's relationship, and what it turns out to be. WARNING:POSSIBLE YAOI IN LATER CHAPTERS Please review, if people like this I will keep writing.
1. Chapter 1

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, this is my first story, and I really hope you guys like it! I plan for this to be ten chapters, but only if people like this. I am working on a oneshot also; look for that soon.

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Something was wrong with Odd's expression.

As usual, the blonde epitome of ADD was shoveling food down his throat, but when he did stop, Ulrich noticed that his smile was forced; there was a slight strain on it, almost as if it was being held in place by metal bars. This unusual reaction had Ulrich worried for only a moment before he thought of the fight. Odd's girlfriend of exactly 2 weeks and one day had woken him up last night by shouting to half the school about how Odd was a two-timing, sniveling little… yeah, the usual. Ulrich had only given it a moment's thought before going back to sleep, but maybe his best friend had been more shaken up than he originally thought.

His thoughts were interrupted by Aelita saying "My father is still nowhere to be found, but every day I am getting closer to cracking the map's key.

Once Aelita had restarted the supercomputer to make sure XANA was really gone, she had found a coded map to where her father had hidden a data version of himself, one that Jeremie could use code earth to bring back. Basically, the computer was no longer dangerous; it was just a big computer.

Aelita then said "So Odd how was the shouting match last night? What did you do this time; cheat on her with her sister?

"You know, I actually broke up with her."

The silence at the table was deafening, and Odd was timing how long it would take them to get over the shock.

45 seconds later, Jeremie asked "Why then, was she shouting about you cheating on her?"

"Apparently, when I break up with a girl, it automatically means there's someone else."

"USUALLY THERE IS!"

"Ok, but not this time. I just want to focus on some other things right now.

The truth was, Odd was lost. Nothing, not even Kiwi or soccer with Ulrich could make him stop thinking that he was missing something in his life. No girl helped him get over it either. His last 5 girlfriends had only increased this feeling.

Jeremie started to press Odd for more info, but Ulrich put a finger to his lips and said "We are always here for you; XANA may be gone, but we are still friends."

"That really means a lot to me, you know that?"

At this point, the 5 exited the lunchroom, dodged Sissy, and headed up to the dorm of the smartest kid in Kadic.

Jeremie sat down at his computer and began typing, while the others sat on the bed and waited.

"Last night, I finally located the remains of the skid, and managed to get them from the bottom of the digital sea." Jeremie said. "Although it is mangled, and about a quarter of it has been completely destroyed, I began the restoration program. It was close, but the program managed to begin repairs. The process should take about two weeks, although, you guys should visit lyoko once in a while to make sure it is working." At this Jeremie lapsed into incoherent mumblings about program codes that nobody except Aelita understood.

After about half an hour of watching Jeremie type, Odd and Ulrich left for some one on one soccer. They quickly changed and began kicking the ball around. After an hour, Ulrich was leading 5-0, so they took a break and went to go sit in the grass.

"Odd?"

"Yes Ulrich?"

"Why do we understand each other so much better when we are playing soccer?

"Huh?"

"Whenever we play soccer, I can read you like a book; I can see your emotions, your ideas, even whether you're hungry or not. But today, all I'm seeing is frustration.

"You know, I can do that with you to, though not to that extent. And I'm frustrated because I'm trying to find something that will make me truly happy. Lately, everything that I do just feels halfhearted; I can't feel meaning in it. I think that playing soccer with you has been the happiest thing I have done all week. Other than that, I'm fine.

Ulrich was silent for a moment, absorbed in his own thoughts. Finally, he said "I understand, and I think what you need is something new. I've got to admit, life is slightly less exciting without XANA, and so what you need is a new hobby. As for you breaking up with Miranda, it was for the best. That girl was dragging you down even deeper if you ask me. I promise you, whatever new adventure you find, I'll be right by your side."

Odd gave Ulrich his biggest smile, then started chasing after the ball.

Later that night, the five decided to go to a movie. It was October, so the local cinema had all sorts of classic horror movies. They selected _Frankenstein _and grabbed popcorn, with Odd getting a large for himself, and the rest getting one to share. The gang all filed into the movie theater just as the previews were starting, and sat down. 40 minutes into the movie, Aelita, (who had never seen a horror movie in her life) was trembling and spilling popcorn everywhere, while the rest were yawning. As Odd was grabbing his popcorn, his hand brushed against Ulrich's arm. Then he felt the spark.

It was everything he had been looking for, and it was right in front of him. Warmth blossomed in his stomach, and he felt himself blushing. This was nothing like his many girlfriends, this was beauty, strength and cleverness in perfect harmony, and all Odd wanted to do was drink it up. Then it ended, and Odd just sat there, panting like a dog.

Ulrich leaned over and asked "are you okay?"

"yeayayhuhuhuhumumumyeah"

"Okay…"

For the rest of the movie, all Odd could think of was Ulrich. His face. His lips. His eyes-cheeks-nose. He thought of the time they had spent talking and goofing off, and how he was always there for Odd, and his kindness and gentle power.

At the end of the movie, Odd held Ulrich back, intending to tell him what he had felt, but something told him not to reveal this just yet. So he just said "tomorrow, I'm going to find a new hobby, like you told me to. I want to figure out why I'm feeling like this, and I can't do it without you."

After Ulrich agreed to help him out tomorrow, they went back to the dorms. Ulrich and Odd both went to bed, but only one fell asleep.

After Odd got his thoughts in order, he knew that the answer to his problem was Ulrich. Whether this was love he was not sure, but one thing was clear; Ulrich is the only thing he needs.

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Let me know how you like it, really, just tell me if I should continue


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, sorry for not updating for a month, school has been hectic, and I have been going through a bunch of crap with this boy that I like, and he does not notice me. But anyways, I hope you like this story! Also, which do you like better, skydiving or motorcycles? This will be used in a future chapter…*lapses into incredibly dirty thoughts of things that can be done on motorcycles* OH CRAP, I'M GETTING GUTTER MIND FROM MY BEST FRIEND…

P.S. this happens on a Friday that only Kadic has off, hence lack of other kids.

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His dreams were interrupted by a loud banging that came from the door. Odd rolled over and sighed, before getting up out of bed and letting in his best friend/crush (was it even a crush?) Ulrich. The brunette stormed over to the desk, grabbed his room key, and sat down on the bed, startling Kiwi, who had been napping on Ulrich's pillow, and stared off into space.

"Weeeeeell, looks like somebody had cold water in the showers today…"

"Yes," Ulrich replied, "but that's the least of my worries. As you can see, I forgot my room key, forcing me to bang on the door for 10 minutes, breakfast was a freak show of watching Sissy make out with two guys at once, but the worst part came when William actually asked my permission to date Yumi, and he knows that it hurts me still, he was just doing it to hurt me…"

Yumi. At that word, Odd felt a little twinge of jealousy, because even though he loved her like a sister, and would never harm her, he felt annoyed that she was the focal point of Ulrich's attentions. Odd would never deny Ulrich like she did; he would marvel at his luck that the best soccer player in Kadic spent so much time with him.

"So anyways Odd, did you decide what to do today, or you just making it up as you go along?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I was just going to see what I could find in town, But I have a few definite places I want to get to."

"You know, Odd, a day with you is what I need to clear my mind." Said Ulrich, looking at his watch as he walked out the door.

"Oh joy, I'm playing the role of mind sponge." Thought Odd darkly, as he hurried out the door.

As they walked into town, Odd thought of all his possibilities. He could try out for the swim team; he was lean but muscular like a swimmer should be, but he did not know how long he could endure looking at Ulrich with no shirt, so he pretty much scrapped that idea. He knew a person that could teach him the art of the sword, but Ulrich already knew all about that.

"Earth to Odd…" somebody said, and Odd snapped out of his thoughts.

They had arrived at the karate studio, where Odd was hoping to inquire about some Tai kwon do classes.

After speaking to the sensei and paying membership fees, they began to learn the basics.

The first class was just about discipline, so it was kind of boring, but Odd knew they would get to the good stuff eventually.

After the lesson, the two warriors stopped for something to eat, and began heading to their next destination, the new skate park. At 89 degrees, it was abnormally hot for early October, so Ulrich was beginning to sweat when he bumped into Odd.

Odd just stood there in awe.

Ulrich tapped him on the shoulder and said "It is really impressive, isn't it? They spent a lot of money on this, and I can hardly wait to try it out."

"Yeeeahhh, RACE YOU!" Odd screamed as he jumped on his skateboard and sped down the street.

Ulrich just sighed, laughed, and noted how cute Odd looked dodging pedestrians and laughing.

WAIT, CUTE? Ulrich shook his head and thought "man, I must be dehydrated from class this morning; it's messing with my brain." He then pulled out a water bottle, downed half of it in a second, and skated down the street to the park.

Odd was already on the half pipe when Ulrich rolled up and climbed to the top. Grinning, Odd did a flip and landed on the balcony posed like a gymnast.

"And the crowd goes wild for Odd the Daring!"

"More like Odd the nutcase"

"That was epic and you know it!"

"I could do better in my sleep."

"Go. ahead."

And just like that, Ulrich began tearing down the half pipe. As he felt the wind moving through his hair, he began laughing, something he had not done in a while.

His laughter was music in the ears of Odd, who stared dreamily off into space playing the sound over and over again in his mind, but he did not miss Ulrich's feet parting with his board, as he did a back flip in midair and landed on his board perfectly, then landed on the half pipe and continued skating up and down. Odd cheered for his friend, and then started skating with him, but in the opposite directions.

That was what happened until about four in the afternoon, when Ulrich finally stopped and got off his board. Odd started to slow down, but Ulrich called out "don't stop because of me, I'm about to get back on.

Odd was concerned, so he looked at Ulrich to see what was wrong. What he did NOT expect to see was that Ulrich had removed his sweaty shirt and was now facing Odd with his hands clasped behind his head.

The many years of soccer had left Ulrich with a body that was a bit more muscular than your average skateboarder. The clearly defined six pack was gleaming because of sweat and the sun, and his beautiful dark nipples were the highlight of a strong chest. All in all, Ulrich was a hunk, and Odd could not stop staring at him.

Odd, however, had forgotten he was on a moving skateboard.

He traveled up the halfpipe and was almost level with the balcony when gravity overtook his body and he fell off his board. He fell through air and then tumbled and skidded on the hard surface of the pipe. He finally skidded to a stop, and momentarily blacked out.

When he awoke ten seconds later, his entire body was aching, but he could not feel it.

Ulrich, out of concern for his friend, had ran over to his body and bent down next to it. When Odd awoke, ulrich's face was two inches away from his, and he could feel Ulrich's body heat on his chest.

Odd blushed a bright scarlet and thought about how easy it would be to close the distance between them. How easy it would be to have their lips meet in a fiery embrace, and how Ulrich would hug him with all the love he had ever wasted on Yumi, and then some. Then, the moment was broken, and Ulrich moved away. Slowly, the feeling in Odd's stomach faded until it was a tiny flutter, one that he knew would always be there as long as Ulrich was around. Odd loved this new feeling, and sat up, only to groan in pain and fall backwards onto the hard tar surface of the halfpipe.

"You had a really bad wipeout, you may want to take it easy." Ulrich commented, still shirtless and staring at his friend.

Odd looked up and said "just help me get on my feet."

It turned out that Odd was covered in bruises and scrapes, and had lightly twisted his ankle, but nothing was broken and he would be fine in a few days. Ulrich put his arm around his friend's back, so Odd could use him as a crutch for his ankle.

They walked (or, in Odd's case, limped) back to Kadic in silence, until Ulrich said "I was really worried about you when you fell, but I think you are going to make a full recovery."

Odd felt the blush in his cheeks and said "thank you for everything, and for putting up with me."

"you know, you're not annoying." Ulrich replied. "You are really cool, and fearless, and you do brag a lot but that's just you. I think you are one of the kindest people I know, and it is an honor helping the winner of our skating contest back to Kadic."

"But I wiped out, how did I win?"

"You had the best moves. Hence you won."

Ulrich took Odd up to Yolanda's office and explained what had happened. She confirmed that Odd would be fine in a few days, and that he should stay in bed for the rest of the day.

The two Lyoko warriors went up to their room, where they spent the rest of the day talking, playing video games, and playing with Kiwi.

When they finally went to bed, Odd stared at the ceiling and thought of everything that had happened today.

"Well," he thought. "I can't honestly tell myself this is just friendship. I am in love with my roommate, and I want us to be together."

He repeated this sentence in his head over and over, turning it into a mantra, and listened to the silent school, wondering just how crazy his life would become.

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First off, a thank you the size of lyoko to lyokoyaoi, who inspired me when I had writers block. Enormous thanks to all of my reviewers and favoriters and other assorted –iters who enjoy my writing. Please read and review, and respond to the question in the intro!

P.S. school is insane, so I have no idea when the next chapter will be ready. I promise that it will not be more than two months though.

And with that, I bid you GOODNIGHT! *picks up crappy computer and throws it out the window*

Seriously, I hate this thing.


	3. Chapter 3

OOOOOOOOOkay, I now present to you the latest chapter of NID! The inspiration for this came from an odd mix of twizzlers and music by The Killers, so if it is awful, BOYCOTT TWIZZLERS! This IS a really boring chapter though, and is not nearly as good as the other two, I really love my readers, so I apologize in advance for the awful writing…

On a more serious note, I must inform my readers that Odd and Ulrich will be facing some problems after this chapter, so the next few chapters will be kind of dark. …

I still do not know where they will get together though. It will either be chapter six or seven, or maybe the last chapter, so let me know which I should choose!

And now I is rambling. Enjoy the chapter.

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"And please turn your books to page 601, as we study the diversity of phylum chordata…"

Odd and Ulrich looked at each other and both sighed. It had been another long boring day, and science was NOT helping the situation. Luckily the bell rang that moment, saving them from the droning of Mrs. Hertz.

They found Jeremie and the three of them began to walk to the dorms, meeting up with Aelita and Yumi coming from art. Yumi instantly struck up a conversation with Ulrich, something about a certain period of art and how boring it is.

Jeremie clapped his hands together twice, and when everybody looked at him, he said "cancel your plans for Sunday. We need to go to Lyoko and begin the final repairs. The top of the ship was cleaved through by the colossus' sword, and the metal is twisted and warped. Any program I design will take months to complete, so I want Aelita to use her power to "sing" the metal back to its original position. The process will take two hours, plus rendering and creating resistance against the digital sea."

"Listen Jer," Odd replied, twisting his head back. "That sounds really fun and all, but I have a big art presentation that day. A lot of sponsors will be there, so I'm hoping one of them will enjoy my artwork. Also, I need Ulrich to help set up my stand."

"WHAT! You expect Aelita and Yumi to go to Lyoko and work on this by themselves?

"Jeremie," Aelita said, "I'm a big girl now, and can take care of myself, and Yumi is more than capable of fighting off anything that comes for me. Besides, when we destroyed Xana, we destroyed all the monsters, right?

"I don't like this either." Yumi said, "Ulrich should at least come with us, just to be safe…"

"But I need him to help me." Odd said with the biggest puppy dog eyes he could muster, "Jeremie, Aelita is more than capable of handling herself, and… and we could come if you call our cell phones, the hall is closer to the factory than the school, it would be easy for me to slip out after my presentation…"

Jeremie lasted for about thirty seconds under Odd's eyes before he gave in.

Since it was Friday, the gang was eager to be done with their classes and begin the weekend. Odd was in his last period art class, finishing the last painting he was going to showcase at the Musee d'orsay, one of the most famous modern art museums in the world. Odd finished the last spiral and leaned back in his chair.

It was an ice city, with many different buildings and a town hall. All had magnificent spires and featured intricate designs in the walls Odd had created by swirling two blues together. The painting, which was bigger than the posters in his room, was the largest thing he had ever created. He left it in the art room to dry, and raced upstairs to tell his crush the good news.

"Ulrich, I'm finally done!" Odd shouted as he unlocked the door and grabbed Ulrich in a bear hug.

"What the hell, get off of me!"

Odd finally noticed that All Ulrich was wearing was a pair of briefs. A pair of totally revealing, low cut, package hugging briefs that made Odd drool and stare with ecstasy. Odd instantly turned five shade of red, one after the other, let Ulrich go, and squeaked "well, just wanted to tell you." He then released his friend and ran out of the room.

"He knows my secret, He knows I like him!" Odd thought over and over again as he ran to the end of the hall.

"Odd wait!"

He turned around, and there was Ulrich running towards him, though now with pants.

A little voice in Odd's head whispered "Thank god."

A bigger voice in Odd's head screamed "DAMN IT! I WANNA SEE HIM IN THOSE SEXY BRIEFS AGAIN!

Odd clonked himself on the head, and walked toward Ulrich.

When Ulrich reached him, Odd said "I'm sorry for bugging you"

"Odd, you did not do anything wrong, I mean, you were excited about your artwork. I thought your class ran for another five minutes, and it felt really stuffy in the dorm, so I wanted to cool off, you know what I mean?

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're seriously telling me you've never laid around in your underwear?"

"Well no, I mean…"

It doesn't matter; anyways, you wanted to show me something?

The two friends walked back to the dorm so Ulrich could put on a shirt, and then headed down to the studio. When they got there, Odd said hello to the teacher, then he and Ulrich walked to the back room.

Odd's painting was on the back wall, and was pretty hard to miss.

"Holy crap Odd, how long did this take?"

"I've been working on it ever since the beginning of the year." Odd replied.

"It's beautiful Odd," Ulrich said, "the designs are making me dizzy; there are so many interlocking pieces that I can't follow them."

"Yeah," Odd replied, turning to look at Ulrich, "The colors took ages to swirl, and are really thick. In fact, I don't know if it will be dry in time for the show.

"What happens if it is not dry in time?"

"The painting could become damaged and it would be ineligible."

"Ah." Ulrich said with a little smile on his face, "So that's why you wanted me to help."

"Huh?"

"I'm the delivery boy…"

"Ulrich, I can get this monstrosity to the hall no problem."

Then why do you need me?

"Because…well… I'm really nervous because this could be a big break for me and I wanted my best friend to come and cheer me on, and maybe spend a bit of time with me browsing (here Odd puts on a really thick British accent) _The high culture of the painting arts._

"Really, that's all you wanted?"

"Odd," said Ulrich turning to his friend and bowing I would be happy to explore _The high culture of artful painting, _Or, whatever you just said to me. Now can we stop with the British crap?"

"Yeah sure, just let me spray my painting and we can go back to the dorm." Odd replied.

"Spray?"

"Yep, it's this stuff that dries your painting faster, but if you use too much, it cracks the paint. Not that I have much of a choice, but I'm kind of worried."

Odd uncapped a small red can and sprayed a cloud of clear stuff that smelled like glue over his masterpiece. The two friends then left the studio and walked to their dorm.

Later, Odd was lying on his bed tossing a ball to Kiwi and fantasizing about Ulrich.

He imagined that he was in the ice city with Ulrich, laughing and running around and behaving like kids. The people of the city, who were as blue as the buildings, just went about their business and ignored them. Odd and Ulrich ran to a big frozen lake and began skating without blades. They spun around the perimeter of the lake and held hands, never speeding up, always staring each other in the eyes, conveying more emotions than a thousand years worth of words had room for. They let go, and retreated to opposite sides of the lake, never breaking that precious eyelock. They moved towards each other once again, sliding just past each other, and continuing backwards. Then Ulrich spun in a circle and beckoned to Odd, but Odd slipped and fell on his back.

In an instant Ulrich was there beside him, lifting him up as though he weighed nothing. They walked into town, into a building. Odd had no idea where they were, but as soon as they were inside he recognized the place as the Ritz Paris. Odd had stayed there for a week with his parents (yep, they're rich) to visit a bunch of relatives who he had never seen before, but he always remembered the lobby as one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen.

Suddenly they were in a beautiful room with an enormous bed and chandelier. Ulrich gently laid down Odd and sat on the edge of the bed. Never speaking, Odd propped himself up on his elbows and captured the other in a powerful kiss. Ulrich's lips were warm and soft, and had a certain way of moving around that drove Odd crazy. He was so careful and gentle, and Odd knew this was the true Ulrich, a loving and caring person, untainted by his father's anger and idiocy.

They then slid backwards onto the bed, and Ulrich settled right next to Odd. Mewling like a kitten, Odd wrapped his legs around Ulrich's waist, pulling him closer. Ulrich moved so he was on top of Odd, and resumed their kissing with a new, more lust filled atmosphere. Ulrich was dominant, and Odd let his tongue slip into his mouth without complaint. After a while, the boys broke the kiss, both panting for air and blushing, but both very happy.

Ulrich finally removed his shirt, and Odd was once again awestruck by the beauty of his lover. He was so strong, yet he gave Odd the gentlest touches, as if he was breakable. Odd tried to remove his shirt, but was stopped by Ulrich, who removed it for him. The kissing resumed, much more rough and sexual than before. Odd could feel a fire in his stomach, and he could also feel the heat beneath Ulrich's skin. Odd moaned, and Ulrich moved so he was at the button of Odd's jeans. Ulrich undid the button with his teeth, and was about to pull down his own pants when Odd fell off the bed and into a black whirlpool.

When Odd opened his eyes he was back in his dorm, and Kiwi was running around barking. Odd rubbed his head and said "Oh, it was a dream. I must have fallen asleep and I was thinking about my painting, so…

Odd began crying, and Kiwi sat close to his master and turned his head to the side in that adorable way that lets you know he's listening. He panted, imploring the blond boy to begin his lament.

"Kiwi, I am going to tear my hair out of my head if this keeps going. I love him… I didn't even think I could like boys. Really though, I'm fine with that, but did it have to be my best friend? I mean really, out of all the guys on earth, I had to get the one I've been living with for two years? What do I do? If he knows I like him he'll never speak to me again, but if I keep it a secret, it eats me up…

His angst was interrupted by a knock at the door. He opened it, and saw Jeremie and Aelita standing there

"Morning sunshine!" Aelita said in her usual cheerful voice.

"We just thought we would come and get you, seeing as dinner's half over." Jeremie said. "Oh yeah, its spaghetti tonight and-

Odd had already left the room.

After dinner, both boys were lying on their stomachs and reading comics. Ulrich broke the silence and said "do we have Tai qwan do tomorrow at 11?

"Yeah, we do. It's so nice to be able to get away from my problems like that…" Odd spoke softly, not really paying attention to Ulrich OR his comic. His private bubble was shattered when the noticed Ulrich was now sitting on the bed looking with concern at him.

"Odd, are you okay? You sound miserable, and I'm worried."

"Dammit… Why does he have to look so hot?" Odd thought. He shook his head and replied, "Ulrich, as I promise that if anything is ever making me miserable, you'll be the first to know. I'm just a little tired is all."

"Okay Odd, I believe you."

Odd frowned and weighed his options. Finally he said "Ulrich?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of me?"

"Huh?"

"Do you consider me more than a friend?"

The words had left Odd's mouth before he realized what he was asking. He instantly began trembling, and was about to apologize when Ulrich said "I think I understand; I think of you as a brother too!"

"Oh," Odd replied in a tiny voice "That's good to know. I feel the same way."

With that Ulrich turned off his light and went to sleep. Odd watched him for 30 minutes, and when soft snores were heard he climbed out of bed, put on his sneakers, and crept out the door.

After exiting the dorm building, Odd ran to the forest. He ran through trees, all blackened by the dusk, and finally stopped in a small clearing. He then curled up into a ball, and began to sob quietly. The words Ulrich had spoken tumbled around in his head and gained a mocking, almost sinister edge. Finally, when it seemed he would slip into complete insanity, he was saved by sleep's liquid blanket.

Odd awoke to the morning sun heating his skin. He looked around and realized that he had spent the whole night in his small meadow. He got up, rubbed his eyes, and started for home. His misery and anguish were locked away, stacked behind his cheery eyes and bright smile. Odd only wondered how long it would take it to fall over.

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I am just so sorry that you had to suffer through this. I know it's awful, but it was written during one of my "creative slumps" as I like to call them. Basically, I go emo for a week over something, cry in my sleep, draw, paint, write, or do something else. I have only ever cut twice, and I was not as depressed this time, so all I did was write.

Anyways, it's the December season, and I want to wish you a very merry Christmas, happy Hanukah, happy Kwanza, a most joyous Yule, and a happy new year!

I love you all, especially the people who comment and favourite, and add my story to alerts.

Au revoir, mon amis!


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, chapter 4 already? That's just scary… But still, every time I look at the comments, or the favorites, or a new PM, it just makes me feel amazing. I thank all of my readers for your encouragement.

Love you all, enjoy the chapter

Just a note, Ulrich is 16 at the time this occurs. Forgive me if that's out of tune with the show.

Dedicated to Your Angel Matt, (Matt, Seth, and the entire family) ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

"So then, William brought an entire picnic with him, and it was delicious, then we laid on our backs, arms splayed out, turned our heads toward each other, and it just felt amazing kissing him…" Yumi chattered

Ulrich just nodded his head, saying little words of encouragement when necessary, and thought to himself, "Was she really this annoying when we were dating? Look at her, she's about to turn into a chibi! I've never seen her gush like that… Was our relationship really that bad?"

"And we got back late, and we had to sneak in, it was so romantic…."

"How is risking getting caught by Jim romantic?" Ulrich wondered.

He grimaced, turned back to his brioche, and thought of a much more pressing problem. Odd had woken him up by running into the door, opening it, and then diving under his covers. He started snoring, and was asleep for all of ten minutes before the alarm buzzed. He then woke up, sighed, grabbed his painting canvas bag and walked out the door.

Where had Odd been all night? His eyes were all puffy, like he was crying, or it could just be sleep deprivation. Ulrich had seen him in the cafeteria, but Odd just looked at him and ran out the door, breakfast in hand. He was worried for his friend; he hoped this competition would cheer him up.

"If everybody's ready to go, we can head to the factory." Jeremie said, looking out the cafeteria window.

"Good luck you guys; call me if you need me, okay?" Ulrich replied.

"Will do."

And with that, Ulrich ran off to find his best friend.

Ulrich found him out back, watching two burly men load what could only be Odd's painting into a van.

"Ready for our date?" Odd joked. Suddenly realizing what he had said, Odd let out a small "meep" and covered his mouth.

I was chuckling at my best friend, but there was a small twinge in my stomach as I looked at him and said "Whenever you are, my dear!"

Odd's face changed from a shameful pout to an enormous smile almost instantly. "Let's go then! The judging begins in a half hour, and it's gonna take a while to set up."

And with that, the two friends got into the back of the van and rode off.

Let's do this… Yumi thought to herself

TRANSFER…

SCANNER…

VIRTUALIZATION

Jeremie hit the enter key and the two ladies were sent into Lyoko. Landing on the floor of the arena, both stood up and ran down the hallway to the elevator. As the elevator came zooming up to meet them, Yumi thought of Odd and his competition, and silently wished him luck as she moved towards her destination.

While they were on the elevator, Aelita stared at the surreal beauty of sector 5, turned off both her and Yumi's audio feed to Jeremie and said "You aren't helping anyone by your dating of William."

"Ulrich knows he's mine, I just like toying with him"

"Your "toying" is hurting more than just one heart, everything is going to fall off the edge if you keep this up. I never like to intercede, but you have no idea what you are doing to the boy. He's already so delicate, and-

"WHO, are you talking about?" Yumi asked suspiciously.

"Why O" Aelita stopped herself just in time and said "-f course Ulrich. He acts so tough, but you know he's just a big teddy bear!" Aelita gave an Odd worthy smile and Yumi said "I understand…you care so much about everybody, what would we do without you Aelita?"

With that, Aelita turned back on exterior audio and said "We're almost there, Jeremie. T-minus 30 seconds."

She had almost let the name slip, but managed to cover it up. The pink-haired elf had had her suspicions for a few months now, but after she saw Odd looking at Ulrich over breakfast, she kind of figured out that there was something there; at least on Odd's side. She had argued that she and Yumi could go alone to Lyoko for two reasons: So that she could have that talk with Yumi and try to stop her from playing with Ulrich, and, well… She thought Odd and Ulrich were so cute together; it nearly made her squeal in the classic fangirl style.

So yeah, she didn't have any problems if the two decided to date, or Guys with guys in general. After all, love was love. Yumi, on the other hand…

"JEREMIE, I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY! MAKE THIS STUPID THING GO FASTER BEFORE I GO KAMIKAZE ON YA!"

Aelita smiled and began humming.

The ride to the art show had gone smoothly enough, with both boys holding onto Odd's large painting to support it. Now, as Odd registered at the front desk of the hall, he felt anticipation and nausea.

"QUIT IT!" He thought to himself.

Gathering his things, including his extra pass for Ulrich, he ran to find the young samurai, only to find him already sitting at the booth, with his feet on the table and his headphones in. Feeling slightly annoyed, he walked around the table and yanked the headphones off.

"Hey!"

"Ya know, I'm already nervous beyond comparison, and if the judges saw you like that, they would never take my art seriously." Now come on, we're leaving."

Ulrich got up from his chair and said "I thought you had to be present when the judges came and looked at your stuff."

"They changed the rules this year. Now we're supposed to give the judges space when they come." Odd said, pulling a V.I.P. pass out of his laptop bag. "So take your pass and let's go! First I'm going to check out the competition, and then the day is ours!"

Ulrich stayed where he was, a look of suspicion on his face. Slowly he said "You knew about this beforehand, didn't you?"

Odd flashed a smile and said "Weeeeeeeellllllll"

_FLASHBACK: The day before._

Odd was sitting in the art room napping, when the door slamming brought him back to reality. He stood up, stretched, and saw William looking at him.

William walked over and said "Sorry about that, I didn't know anybody else was in here, and by the time I saw you, you were already waking up.

"Its fine, I needed to get up anyways." Odd replied, looking at his painting.

I think that one's a prize winner, Odd." William said, gesturing towards the painting. "I wish I would have entered this year, but I just couldn't think of anything good to do. They sent me the form today saying there are still empty spots, along with some other stuff like the rules, and maps of the center."

Well, consider yourself lucky. At least you don't have to spend ten hours in a cramped little booth." Odd said, walking towards the door.

William looked at him and said "You haven't gotten your mail yet today, have you?"

Odd turned around in the doorframe and said "What do you mean?"

William pulled a piece of paper out of his bag and said "They changed the rules this year." He walked over to Odd and showed him the rules sheet. "You don't even have to stay in the center this year. You can do whatever you want, as long as you're back by six for the ceremony."

Odd quickly said his thanks and ran to the mailroom. Sure enough there was a letter for him from the people who ran the competition, along with a paper that read the same as William's. He walked back up to his room, and was about to get out his soccer ball when he thought "That gives me the entire day with…him." Instantly, Odd began creating a plan, one that would allow him to tell Ulrich exactly how he felt about him.

All of a sudden, a tiny voice inside his head said "Are you sure you want to do this? There's no going back, you know." Odd thought about it for a minute. All of his doubts and fears came rushing back, and he felt the nagging voices threaten to break out in chorus. But as an image of Ulrich appeared, the shadows were cast away, and he knew what he had to do. He picked up his cell phone, and did a little research.

After a few phone calls, reservations, and purchases with his parent's credit card (given to him, of course, for emergencies. His parents didn't actually care what he did with it, as long as he didn't buy an elephant or something), his day with Ulrich was all set up.

_END FLASHBACK_

As Odd was walking out of the hall with Ulrich, he questioned himself again. But steeling himself, he was reminded that it was either this or go crazy. They exited the building, turned left, and then a small black car pulled up to the sidewalk. Grinning, Odd opened the back door and gestured to Ulrich, who gave him a suspicious look as he got in. Odd sat down, shut the door, and the little car began to move towards their first destination.

Meanwhile, on Lyoko, repairs were going as planned. The girls had taken sparring to beat away the boredom

"WOAH, easy there! You almost took my head off…" Yumi replied to a well-aimed energy sphere.

Out of breath, the girls sat down and watched the metal twist its way back into the proper alignment.

"It still looks weird, you know," Yumi said.

"Well, at least I don't have to sing for five hours straight. How do you think Odd's doing in the competition?" Aelita replied, shifting around and trying to find a comfortable position.

"I wouldn't worry about it." Yumi said, flipping over onto her stomach and looking up at Aelita. "If he hasn't demolished the hall yet, the judges are probably looking at his stuff right now.

Aelita smiled and looked at the sub, which was now having its windshield repaired. "And he's going to come in first place?"

"Of course he is." Yumi replied, taking out one of her fans and playing with it.

There was a short silence, punctuated by the creaking of metal, until Aelita said "And you really wanted to shut this down."

"What was I thinking…" Yumi replied, spinning around and looking at sector five in all its glory.

"Ladies, the sub will be complete in five minutes. Then you can go home." A disembodied voice echoed around them.

"Thanks Einstein." Yumi said, now looking at her outfit. "And," she said to Aelita, "where else would we look this hot!"

Suddenly a strange thought popped into Aelita's head. "Hey Jeremie…" She said, trying to keep her face straight.

"Yes, Aelita?"

She looked at Yumi and grinned. "Do I look better on Lyoko or on earth?"

"And which one of us looks better?" Yumi chimed in.

All they heard was spluttering, followed by a muffled sort of crash that sounded exactly like a genius falling out of his chair.

The two Lyoko warriors looked at each other and smiled.

The small black car was going through the city quickly. As for the two occupants in the backseat, one was bouncing up and down in his seat, and the other was calm and collected.

"Well, where are we going?" Ulrich said keeping his eyes trained on Odd.

"Oh, nowhere special," Odd replied, looking at Ulrich and smiling. "Besides, This wouldn't be half as fun if you knew."

"Well, at least I get to spend the time with someone special to me."

Realizing what he just said, Ulrich blushed slightly, and thought "Where did that come from? I hope I haven't ruined the surprise…"

His thoughts trailed off, and he looked at Odd. Odd had calmed down (somewhat), and was not acting like he heard.

"We're almost there" Odd said, looking at Ulrich and smiling.

And as they started to slow down, Ulrich accidentally put his hand on top of Odd's.

Both boys registered the small shock, that strange feeling Odd had that day at the theatre.

Ulrich just blushed and looked away. Odd realizing that Ulrich was embarrassed, decided to gloss over the whole thing.

"Did you just feel that weird chill? I'm going to turn up the heat. Odd pressed the call button on the door and said "Mark, Could you crank up the heat in the back?"

A distinguished voice came out of the small speaker and said "Of course sir."

Ulrich had forgotten about the driver. As he looked around the car, a sudden thought occurred to him.

"Odd, why did you do this? For me, anyways? How did I get an awesome and apparently secretly rich friend like you, and what," He finished, "did I do to deserve an awesome friend like you?"

"You were there for me."

Ulrich almost didn't hear the response, Odd was speaking so quietly.

"You were the first friend I had here, You put up with my insanity and didn't run to the principal begging for a room change, I feel like you deserve all this and more just for being the amazing person you are, And finally," He said, slightly out of breath, "You have the biggest heart I have ever seen, and you would accept me even if I told you all my secrets."

Now, as both boys were blushing in the backseat, Ulrich felt something strange overtake him. Quietly, So Odd wouldn't notice, he unbuckled his seat belt and slid over to the seat right next to Odd.

Odd, looking out the window and completely oblivious to what Ulrich was doing, said

"Oh, and I just…"

But he couldn't finish his sentence, because the second that he turned around to face Ulrich, The brown haired warrior grabbed his shoulders. For the first time in his life, Odd could think of nothing to say. And then, Ulrich moved forward and their lips met at last.

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MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I HAS DONE THE CLIFFHANGER!

Don't you just hate me?

Ayways, Be sure to look for my next chapter, coming by the end of June, as well as my new story, which will be posted the next day.

Once again, Thank you for putting up with my lack of updating, and thank you for all favourites, reviews, and alerts! Constructive criticism is appreciated, while flames will be used to cook a Tofurky.

Thank you again!


	5. Chapter 5

I know that this is long overdue, but I was working on other stories, like my Naruto one and such. Also, the writing for this chapter didn't come easily, because of how this is turning out. I hate to say it, but this won't have too many more chapters, 3 at the most. But i'm really excited for this story, although I may save the best parts for a novel.

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"This is a dream."

The thought was simultaneous in their minds.

"I never thought this would happen"

The feeling was mutual.

"I'm screwed for life"

And in that second he had broken away from Odd, who panted and looked up at him, wanting more.

And Ulrich saw Odd's eyes go from bliss to confusion to worrisome, followed by "What's wrong?"

And the love, the pure feeling the blond boy put into those two words was his breaking point.

And he tumbled, wrenched open the door of the car that had inexplicably stopped, and he ran.

Odd stared out the door, struck dumb by what just happened. Then, ever so slowly, the darkness crept into his heart, whispering and adding to his fears. He sunk down into the seat and curled into a little ball.

No, wait…

He sat up quickly, replaying those few moments that had already been engraved into his memory. He felt Ulrich's lips on his own and knew that whatever had led to the kiss, it was not just a "heat of the moment thing."

Why did he run away?

* * *

><p>My thoughts were an illegible mess. All I could think of was the noise made by my feet as they pounded the ground, taking me away from what I wanted, what I needed, but I couldn't need it because it was wrong and I knew it was from my lesson.<p>

And somehow, my thoughts veered and came up to that memory, one that I had pushed out so long ago…

I remembered the cold, biting into my skin as if the heavy jacket that my mother lovingly bundled me in didn't exist. I also see her. She was a different woman back then, strong and silent; but then she became what he wanted…

"Mommy?"

"Yes dear?"

"How many more stores? You have too many bags, you want some help?"

She smiled at me then, and let me take two of them; it was all I could carry back then.

I don't remember the stores, the names and the background were an illegible mess. All I could recall was that that store was an old one, family owned. We were getting the last of the presents for my relatives.

I stopped there, drawing myself back into the modern world. I couldn't delve into the emotions of sixteen years, all pent up inside me. Besides, that was the day my father molded me, forced me into a hell of his own creation…

"NO, YOU WON"T! MY SON WILL NEVER DISOBEY ME; HE WILL KNOW THAT I AM RIGHT! I WILL MAKE YOU A SON TO BE PROUD OF! YOU WILL BE A NEW MAN!"

And I was back, gasping and crying and…

NO I couldn't cry, a man never,

But was he right?

What I can believe…

And I watched my life be consumed by flames as I was dragged back to the house.

* * *

><p>After looking for 20 minutes, I found him down a small side road. he was sitting on the sidewalk like a homeless man, and had this wide haunted look in his eyes. , but otherwise he was unharmed. I slipped my hands around his shoulders and asked him the obvious. Any injuries, issues, what were you thinking?<p>

He refused to respond to my questions, though. He got up when I pulled on his hand and took two shaky steps to the car, and collapsed. He tried to get up again, but was having some issues with his legs, maybe he landed on them, I don't know. At last he made his way to the vehicle, and we continued on our way.

* * *

><p>It was all light and shadow, until the light found it's place and the shadow condensed, and then I was looking at people, events that I don't remember or had blocked out, but all control was gone as I watched myself be turned into the perfect son.<p>

My father forcing me to watch while he ripped apart my room, getting rid of all my toys, my manga, everything. I was left with my furniture, my clothes, new plain blue bedsheets, and a baseball, basketball, football, and soccer ball. Those were my new toys.

The endless practice, attempting to pass and dribble, while my father demeaned me from the sidelines.

My first team: forcibly signed up for soccer. And when I got on that field, I knew what I had to do. So I dribbled. I passed and shuffled and kicked that ball with all my might. We won that day, but I wasn't there mentally. I had become a soccer playing automaton; How proud my father was! And as we drove home, he told me that I was finally something to be proud of. And I looked to the front seat and wished my mother was still there.

My mother was a different set of memories. I had locked each of those away in an attempt to preserve them from my fathers tarnish. She was the one who got me through the first few years. She couldn't try to stop him, and I didn't want her to try. She had been hit before, and I wouldn't let it happen again. But she still managed to let me have some fun. She would sneak me to art stores, libraries, and let me do what I wanted. She was my real parent. But soon enough, my dad managed to slice in and infect our time together. It seemed like whenever I was about to go out, he forced me to practice harder. He graded me constantly, and the outcome determined my level of freedom

I was never good enough.

Then the day when she finally confronted him, finally told him that he was wrong, that he was eating away at my heart, he said nothing. He grabbed me, threw me in the car, and took me to the nearest hotel.

One week later, my mother was handed the divorce papers.

Naturally, he and his lawyer friends took her to the cleaners. He got full custody of me, but he also insisted on a decent sum for payment each year. Wherever she was, my real mother was not homeless, I guarantee that.

I was eight at the time.

Dad remarried in a year. "New" mom was kind but distant. But it didn't really matter, because I finally gave in, and became his robot. I've held everything in for nearly seven years, and it's going to come undone in a single moment.

You see, if... well.. into...

Everything's going fuzzy, and coherent thoughts won't form. Then I get the blast of light, and fall away again. I wake up to his voice; what now? I can't. I have to stop this, before anyone finds out about...

Passion, love, wonder, curiosity

It's too much. It has to go.

* * *

><p>Odd decided to cancel the date, because it looked like Ulrich was too shaken up to have a good time. When asked if he wanted to get dinner, he replied:<p>

"I want to go back to the dorms, okay? I need to think, I need to try to figure out this mess."

"Okay, if you insist." Odd replied as the car sped on. He looked at the scenery whirring by, then tried to meet Ulrich's eye. Ulrich however, refused the contact. Any attempt at a conversation was shut down in two words. After a while, Odd left him to it. He was shaken, chances are a lot of stuff had been called up; he would be lying to himself if he said this wouldn't change his life. But he was willing to tough it out, and hopefully, so was Ulrich.

Lost in his little epiphany, Odd didn't notice they were now on Kadic grounds. But someone did.

"Just let me out here"

"What?"

"You heard me"

And with that, Ulrich opened the door and jumped out. Odd cried out in alarm, but naturally the boy was fine. Odd got out of the car, payed the chauffeur, and proceeded to follow his friend upstairs.

Once he was in the room, Ulrich grabbed a few blankets, his pillow, and his stuff for the shower, and proceeded to walk out. He passed Odd in the hallway, whose brows knitted together in confusion before he realized what was going on.

"Why are you doing this?" I don't understand what went wrong tonight aside from the fact that we never got dinner, so please tell me what I did wrong! Whatever it is, we can work it out, okay? We've been friends for a lot longer than we've been-

"WHAT? A couple? Boyfriends? I don't know what I did to make you think that, but you're mistaken. We're nothing but good friends. Just good friends."

Odd stopped for a moment and thought "That last time was more for himself than me... He's really unsure right now but maybe he's just shaken up, maybe I can...

Odd came back to reality to find out Ulrich had already rounded the corner. Muttering curses under his breath, Odd ran to Ulrich and grabbed his arm. Ulrich spun around and had only a second to take in Odd moving in really close and making their lips meet.

Then Odd felt a kick in the side, and toppled over. Ulrich glared down at him, a mixture of disgust, anger, and strangely... regret. Ulrich spun around and walked about five steps down the hall before cursing and walking back to help Odd up. He was still sprawled on the floor with a stunned expression on his face. At Ulrich's helping hand, he smiled and got up. But as he was going to hug him, Ulrich pushed him away.

That was when Odd lost it. He ran towards Ulrich and was prepared to hit him, but something made him stop. At the sight of Odd's outstretched hand, Ulrich sighed and walked away. This time, Odd let him go without protest.

"Odd, listen... It's not you, it's just that I can't be... that."

And with that, he walked away.

* * *

><p>A quiet knock on his door was all that it took to rouse Jeremie out of his figure related trance. He got up and stretched, his back making satisfying popping sounds. Then he walked over to the door.<p>

When opened, the door revealed Ulrich with his sleeping set. Jeremie simply smiled and gestured for him to come in; after all, there had been weirder between the two friends.

Before Ulrich even opened his mouth, Jeremie said "Yes you can sleep here." I have a foam mattress in the closet, lay it out."

"Thanks." Ulrich replied, and proceeded to lay out the sleeping mat. Jeremie returned to his computer and started typing, while Ulrich laid on his back and looked at the ceiling. "We got into a fight. I feel guilty, but at the same time, I know it had to be done. I'm sorry that you live in your little fantasy world Odd, but this is life and it really does suck. You can never be who you really are."

"That's awfully harsh," but Jeremie paused as there was another knock on the door. He moved to open it, and Aelita walked in the room. She smiled at the both of them and said "what's harsh?"

"Life." Ulrich replied.

"Elaborate."

So Ulrich proceeded to tell Aelita the same thing Jeremie just heard. A moment passed before Aelita sighed and sat down on the bed.

"Sometimes," she began, moving around to get more comfortable. "There are expectations in life. They can be harsh, and they can be nearly impossible, but you have to go for them anyways."

"That's what I mean-" Ulrich started, but then:

"Shut up." Ulrich couldn't believe that timid Aelita had said that to him, so he listened.

"Now, there are some people who confuse expectations with dreams. Dreams are a little bit different, because they are set by yourself, and are usually very difficult to obtain. Sometimes though, people set dreams for other people. These are forced upon the person, and become expectations. The person becomes a puppet then, with no control over their future."

Ulrich stared up at the ceiling, memories of everything coming back full force. His fake childhood after his mother left. The first time he met Odd, and he learned to have fun, that it was possible to break the rules! Excitement and danger, their adventures on Lyoko replayed in detail, glory and fighting, all a secret, happiness.

"Ulrich," Aelita continued, smiling at him and Jeremie, who was a little bit confused. "You have a way out. Your father isn't here, he has let go of the strings. Now rip them out. Show the world that you're a person, not a puppet. Break free of your father because you're not him. You're you... and no one except yourself can tell you how to act, what to do, who to love or anything else you can think of."

Ulrich's eyes shot open and he sat up, gawking at Aelita. She just smiled and said "It was kind of obvious, no offense. But I don't anyone else realized it."

They both turned toward Jeremie, who wore a confused expression on his face. He said "I think I missed something here..."

Aelita quickly stood up, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and sat back down again. Jeremie blushed and muttered something about girls, and then got back to his work. Aelita then moved toward Ulrich and put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you choose right, it's going to be pretty tough. There aren't a lot of open minded people here, so I think their minds need to be coaxed into taking in a little more of the world, don't you think?"

"Aelita, I don't think-"

"Then don't think, just listen. I know you'll make the right choice."

and with that, she stood up, said goodnight, and walked out to get ready for bed.

Jeremie smiled at Ulrich. "You better do what she said. I know it may not look like it, but she hits just as hard as Yumi."

Ulrich stood up and closed his eyes. He thought of Odd, and he thought of what happened in the car, how it was almost second nature.

And then he decided.

He pulled open the door and ran out into the hall, where he proceeded to make a beeline for his room.

As he ran, he could almost feel little tensions in his arms and legs. But one by one they strings snapped, until none were left and he felt free at last.

* * *

><p>The darkness was soothing on his aching head. Looking forward, he didn't recognize any of the trees that he was passing. He stopped and looked back towards Kadic. At the very top of the treeline, The highest point on the roof of the hermitage could just be seen.<p>

Not far enough.

So he adjusted his heavy pack and began to run, keeping an eye out for roots along the ground.

And throughout it all, three thoughts played in his head.

I messed up. I have to fix it. Please be happy Ulrich.

And so he went on, hoping that his pain brought happiness to the one he loved.

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That was one of the hardest things I have ever written. This took so much effort, and I am really happy that I was able t get back on this story.

You may notice that the writing style kind of changes, and that's because I didn't touch this for the entirety of my senior year. After 15 months since the last chapter, i'm glad that it's done.

I predict one or two more chapters to this; don't worry though. I'm really miserable right now, so plenty of ideas are flowing. College is a bitch, and I have actually considered dropping out after 5 days. But I don't think I will. We shall see.

P.S. To my readers, please PM me with tips to survive your first year at college! Anything would be greatly appreciated.

Also, my current fix is ROtG x-overs w/ HTTYD. Hiccup and Jack are so cute together...

Until next time, Domo arigato for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, chapter six is here. This will be the last full chapter to this story, but there will be an epilogue! To all of my readers, I am sorry that it took this long to work out the chapters, but so much has changed since I started this, it feels like a completely different story. I still love the show, but but I doubt i'll be writing anything else for it.

Hope you like the chapter!

It was too easy.

The second Ulrich had realized Odd had run away, a list of possible places launched in his head, then were ticked off at lightning speed until only two remained.

Honestly, Ulrich just knew Odd so well, had been with him on so many nighttime escapades around the city; there was a map to both places in his head. Now as he ran down the street and rounded the corner, he tried to decide where to check first.

The first option: a small room at the top of the factory that had large windows as well as several comfortable pieces of furniture; likely a break room at one point in its history. But the more Ulrich thought about it, the more he was certain that Odd wouldn't be there. They had spent a lot of time there, talking about the drama and adventure that plagued their everyday lives, both from school and lyoko.

"Too easy," Ulrich said aloud; he stopped and carefully took bearing of his surroundings, then realigned himself to the new path and began running again.

Meanwhile, Odd had just reached The Factory. His tears had dried up long ago, replaced by something thin and bitter; He didn't like it, but would gladly endure it. As he ran into the factory, his thoughts turned to the comfort and quiet of his room... but it wasn't his room, was it? Odd's head throbbed when he realized that all of the happiness he had experienced in that room was thanks to his friend, his... Whatever he was; Odd hadn't quite figured it out yet. All that he could think of, all that he wanted was Ulrich. He was acting like a pathetic child, a silly one with a crush that could not be eradicated no matter how much he wanted it to shatter. And yet his dramatic side flared, and bristling, told him that he had earned himself the right to cry tonight, that everything he had done was perfectly justified. But in the end, he still turned away and let his aching legs carry him somewhere else.

Ulrich finally had to slow down, owing to the stitch in his side. But after taking ten seconds to catch his breath, he carefully stepped around the tree, looking around for Odd all the while, and began walking towards the bright lights of the street. Had he continued in a straight line, he would have walked onto a moderately busy street near the skatepark, but he veered left at the last second. When the trees did break, he was on a dirt road, unlit but with an air of once being cared for. Walking up the steep incline, he hoped that by whatever miracle, he was right and Odd was there.

Three years before Ulrich had come to Kadic Academy, the Mercer Gardening Center had shut their doors. Selling away all of their inventory, they left behind nothing but some stacks of wood, plastic sheeting, and four large (miraculously free of vandalism) greenhouses. It was towards the first Greenhouse, the largest, that Ulrich was now headed. He walked inside, and immediately turned to face the door. Right next to the opening were two lanterns, and two books of matches brought there by Odd nearly a year ago.

Lantern now in hand, Ulrich crossed the main area, breathing slowly and keeping quiet. As he walked, he could smell the soil, just like last time he was here. Odd had only taken him here once before, but even then the soil stirred up memories of his real mother; Ulrich helping her in the garden, bringing her tools or water as needed. Of course the second his father found out he was dabbling in such a "weak" activity, he was immediately squirreled away to work on his passing.

Ulrich reached the greenhouse and, shaking away the fuzziness, opened the door. He walked inside, moving to where several pieces of plastic had been laid down on the floor and secured to "walls" made of old shelving. One thing was missing however.

"Odd?" Ulrich said aloud; expecting, and receiving, nothing but silence.

Odd was totally lost. He surveyed his surroundings with an expression that was half annoyance, half humor; while very dramatic, running through the forest in random directions really doesn't help you to figure out where you're going to go. Well he had been running, then walking for a few hours, and now his only thoughts were of finding someplace to rest. He moved a few feet to the right, and was surprised to see a small glimmer between the trees. Moving towards it, he jumped over bushes and dodged evergreens until he stumbled out onto a well lit road, one that was instantly familiar to him. Smiling for the first time in hours, he turned left and ran up the dirt road hidden from the street. So relieved was he to find a place where he could be at peace, his mind didn't register that there was only one lantern, or that the door of the fourth greenhouse was open. But when he saw Ulrich, illuminated by the light of the other lantern and snoring loudly, that registered rather quickly. Shock that Ulrich even remembered this place quickly turned into anger that _he_ of all people would defile Odd's personal escape with his presence. But it all was overshadowed by something much larger, a fear that Ulrich would wake up and hurt him again. This above all could not happen twice in one night, so Odd attempted to sneak out of the building with Ulrich none the wiser. Unfortunately, just as he put one foot out the door, Ulrich turned over and grunted, startling the blonde and causing him to leap out the door and fall into a set of old sale racks. If that wasn't enough to wake Ulrich, a large metal watering can that Odd remembered putting on the shelves when he was "cleaning" the place wobbled and fell, the spout turning and crashing into the shelves and hitting the stones at the bottom (again put there by Odd) with an audible CLANG! Ulrich jolted and stood up, trying to gain his balance while adopting a defensive stance. This resulted some kind of pose that looked to be half karate and half interpretive dance.

Both boys stared at each other, not moving and not speaking.

Odd was the first to break the trance, by turning around and calmly walking out of the greenhouse.

Ulrich stared after him for a few moments longer before running out the door and moving towards Odd. The Blond teen had walked over to the center of the Cul-de-sac where the greenhouses sat.

"I'm surprised that you even remembered this place."

When Odd spoke, there was sadness in his voice that even Ulrich could detect. Ulrich maneuvered closer to Odd and said "Well, yeah you-" But was cut off by Odd.

"I know you want me to come back, and I will," Odd said without looking at Ulrich. "I admit, I was thinking about running away at first, but then I realized how unfair that would be to Kiwi and the gang.

Ulrich tried to speak, managing "Well i'm glad that-" before Odd spoke again.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. I'll handle all of the paperwork to transfer rooms; meanwhile i'll stay with Jeremie. I don't think he'll mind."

Ulrich tried again. "Well I'm-"

"If I forgot anything you can tell me when I've come back, but for now I just want to be alone with my thoughts."

"But Odd I-" Ulrich started, only to be shut down by Odd again.

"Look," Odd said angrily, still not facing the brunette. Whatever it is, it can wait. I just really need to sort out my thoughts, and you just don't understand..."

It was then that Ulrich decided to impart some of the wisdom given to him by Aelita what was now last night.

"Shut up Odd." Ulrich said the words without yelling, but all the same there was some force behind it that let Odd know that Ulrich needed to speak.

Odd whipped around with anger in his heart, only to see Ulrich looking down at the ground, looking ashamed of himself.

"He has a lot of nerve." grumbled Odd to himself, but all the same, any thoughts of attacking Ulrich with words or fists had evaporated the moment Odd saw his face.

And after a few seconds of silence, Ulrich looked up towards his friend, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"I'm no good with words, especially not when they're personal like these ones," He said, shuffling his feet and alternating between looking at Odd and his shoes. "But all the same, I have to say it you know, no matter how uncomfortable they make me, I have to say what I feel, or else i'll stop feeling and I don't want that. That's how people like my dad are made." At this point, Ulrich took a few steps towards Odd and looked him full in the face. His voice became determined as he said: "I don't want that. I want to say what I have to say, and last night I thought I had to say something, and I was right. But I didn't. I said something I thought I had to say, which was wrong. I am Ulrich. I have a brain, and I have my own thoughts, and I refuse to allow someone else to force their opinions on me. What I did to you, what I said to you, it was all wrong. Can you ever forgive me?"

Odd immediately replied "Yes, of course I can."

"Okay," Ulrich said, once again looking really nervous. "Now here's what I should have said: For a little while, I've been feeling something different between us, something that's a bit closer than friends, but not like brotherly; I should have never said that that night. I think I have... feelings for you, you know, the romantic kind." At this point his face was bright red. "So if you want, we can... see where it goes?

Odd was speechless, but all the same his legs carried him to Ulrich, and his arms wrapped around the still blushing teen.

Ulrich said, putting his head onto Odd's shoulder, mumbling "But I still want to joke around and be best friends, even if we are... you know...

"Dating?" Odd asked, unable to keep the grin off his face; Ulrich just nodded into his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Odd's back.

"Well," Odd said, finally breaking the hug, "even if you're going to turn into a tomato whenever we talk about our relationship, it's a start." He smiled at Ulrich, who returned it with more blushing.

Without either of them saying a word, they both turned and headed down the dirt path to the main road. When they reached the street the garden center was connected to, they received another surprise. Without either of them noticing, it had gone from late night to early morning; there was the faintest blue tint to the East, and they knew that morning would be coming before long. They walked back to Kadic in silence, each simply enjoying the company of the other.

By the time they had reached Kadic, The sun had fully risen. Curfew had already been lifted, so they didn't have to worry about sneaking back into the school. Once inside the grounds, Ulrich turned to head towards the dorms, but Odd stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. In the most serious voice Ulrich had ever heard Odd use, The blonde said "You're going the wrong way."

"I don't understand," Ulrich said, turning to face Odd. "The dorms are that way."

Odd replied, still mortally serious: "But breakfast is this way."

Odd turned and ran towards the dining room without another word.

Ulrich stared after him for only a moment before bursting out laughing. He was silenced however by a loud growl from his stomach, and so decided to run after Odd.

After he had gotten his food, Ulrich walked towards his usual table, but stopped when he saw who was sitting there. Yumi and Odd were sitting across from each other, with a very awkward vibe between them. Yumi was attempting to engage Odd in conversation, but all attempts were shut down in a single sentence. Ulrich had planned to... wait for a little while before explaining the situation to Yumi, but now, with Odd acting the way he was, he had the feeling he was going to have to cross that bridge a lot sooner than anticipated.

Odd was in a bit of a different situation. The moment he'd sat down he knew that Yumi was acting very determined. In fact, the moment he sat down she began asking questions.

"So where was Ulrich last night?" Yumi asked, poking her fork in her food but not actually eating it and looking for Ulrich constantly. "I texted him, and when he didn't respond I snuck over to the dorms." "It was important." She added a moment later.

Odd replied quickly, barely even glancing up at her as he started inhaling his food. "Oh i'm not sure. I spent the night at the factory, in that old staff room. Trying to gain some inspiration I suppose..."

Oh, that reminds me, how did you do at the art show? Did the palace place?

Odd looked up at her then. He had completely forgotten about his art what with the events last night, then food. He was tempted to reply that he was too busy stealing her boyfriend, but he stopped.

Odd thought "What am I even doing? Yumi has been a friend for a lot longer than she's been a... rival? Either way, you shouldn't let her know what happened last night. That's for Ulrich to handle."

And so Odd simply replied with "Didn't even place." and went back to his food.

"Really?" Yumi said, scanning the crowd and not even looking at Odd as she talked. "That's too bad. I really thought that- Ulrich!"

"Damn it" Ulrich thought, but forced a smile onto his face as he moved to his usual table. Yumi patted the seat right next to her, and he grimaced, but sat down where she wanted. Odd had just finished his meal, and was already looking uneasy.

As Ulrich began to eat, Yumi said "So I missed you last night. Where were you?"

Ulrich swallowed and said in a slightly nervous voice "Well, I was... at the factory."

Odd's eyes widened in warning about half a second too late, while Yumi's narrowed.

"So you were with Odd?" She said in an annoyed tone, alternating her gaze between the two of them. "Why didn't you say anything?" She asked Odd.

Ulrich, finally sensing his mistake chimed in.

"Because I asked him not to," Ulrich said, keeping his gaze on Odd. "I was figuring out some emotional stuff, and I asked him not to tell anyone where I was."

"Oh, I understand," She said far too quickly for Odd's liking. "In fact, I was working out some emotional stuff too, and That was why I tried to see you. I wanted to talk about it, in private. Maybe tonight?"

Ulrich looked weirdly at Yumi, then realization dawned on his face

"Oh, yeah, sure..." Ulrich replied quickly. He turned back to his breakfast, only to have Odd catch his gaze. Odd's face at that moment made him look like he was in pain, but the eyes, the questioning, unsure eyes that his... whatever he as classified as now were using nearly made his heart break in two.

Ulrich knew in that instant. All he saw in Yumi was the past, full of hurt, but still punctuated with happiness. But when he looked at Odd, he saw a very unsure, but very happy future. And Ulrich? Well, he had lived in the past for too many years already, and knew where he wanted to be.

So first, he turned to Odd and made three quick gestures, pointing at himself, then Odd, then putting his hands together. It took Odd a moment to figure it out, but when he did he immediately smiled.

Now to deal with Yumi.

Ulrich turned towards her and adopted a fake, unsure tone he knew would sound convincing.

"As a matter of fact, I thought about you last night." Ulrich said, unable to keep a small smile from coming. "I finally figured out how I feel, so I think talking tonight would be for the best."

Yumi was shocked, but quickly said "That's wonderful! Tonight at seven, on the bridge to the Factory?"

Ulrich said "Sounds good."

Yumi got up and said "Well, I'll be going now. I have to help out at home a little bit, but I'll try to be there on time."

As she walked away, Odd and Ulrich said nothing, watching her progress out the door. Even when she left, they still said nothing. They simply shared smiles and got up, then went to the dorms and straight to bed.

At 5:30, Odd and Ulrich both woke up to the alarm they had set. They looked at each other, and Odd smiled, then jumped straight from his bed to Ulrich's. Ulrich let out a muffled oomph! When Odd made contact, then stiffened up when Odd moved so their foreheads touched. For a moment, all was silent.

Odd said "Are you awake?"

Ulrich gave him a little half smile, more nervous than anything, and replied "Well...," Then proceeded to use his legs to flip Odd onto the floor. Odd landed without injury and rubbed his eyes, then looked up to see Ulrich leap off the bed and land right where he was. Of course, Ulrich landed gracefully, arranging his arms and legs just in time to support his weight and suspend him less than two inches above Odd.

It only took a second for Ulrich to turn beet red and scramble away from Odd, repeating the words sorry and inappropriate and spacing them out with little mumbles. Odd got up and crossed the room to Ulrich, then grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug.

Odd told him "Like I said, baby steps. This is new territory for both of us."

Suddenly an evil gleam appeared in Odd's eye. He turned his head towards Ulrich's ear and whispered "Oh and don't worry. Before long, I'll have you begging to be on top of me."

Ulrich slowly slid to the floor, his face brighter than ever, and still blubbering incoherent words.

Odd, his work done for the day, grabbed his shower things and headed for the bathroom.

"Okay, you can do this. Just be honest with her. Tell her there's someone else. Oh wait, that never works in the movies. But can you really trust those movies? No, it's still the wrong thing to say. Just tell her that you don't feel the same way about her anymore. But you're still friends... so you don't feel the same way but you feel the same way. How long have I been muttering to myself?"

It was almost seven, and Ulrich was pacing the length of the bridge trying to rehearse/come up with something that would explain to Yumi that he didn't want a relationship with her. But he wanted to keep her friendship. But he didn't want to get punched.

When he asked Odd earlier, Odd just said that it would be something he would have to improvise.

"You need to talk to her like you talked to me last night; be honest and state things from the heart. I know you can do it."

Odd had hugged Ulrich then, and walked down to the edge of the woods with him. From there, Ulrich had walked/skated alone until he got to the bridge. Now it was 7:03, and Ulrich still had no idea how he was going to do this.

The sound of the metal hatch made Ulrich look behind him to see Yumi clambering out. Once the portal was secure, Yumi turned and walked towards Ulrich. She stopped right in front of him, and there was nothing but silence.

Yumi and Ulrich stood there, saying nothing and not even looking at each other until Ulrich decided to break the silence.

"Yumi, I..." He said, but stopped. He had nothing for her. She was looking at him, waiting for him to continue, and he was just leading her on. He decided that it needed to be short and to the point, and so he opened his mouth when Yumi said "Fine, I guess I'll start. She kept looking at him, and Ulrich was slightly uncomfortable.

"So after a lot of thought, I realize it was wrong of me to date William. Don't get me wrong, he's actually a nice guy, but we're... incompatible. I think that i'm ready to have a real relationship, and I want it to be with you."

Yumi looked up at him expectantly, even fluttering her eyelashes a little bit. Ulrich didn't react, but he finally knew what had to be said. It was wrong to keep her waiting any longer.

"See, that's the thing Yumi," Ulrich said, searching her face for any sign of change. So far so good. "When I was... thinking the other night, I realized something too. I realized-" Here he took a deep breath, still looking for the moment when she would catch on- "That my feelings for you have changed."

When he said that, Yumi's face went from happy to confused.

Yumi said "Okay?" and waited for him to continue.

And so Ulrich decided to be frank.

Ulrich said, unable to keep her gaze "I realized that I think of us as friends now."

It took a moment to sink in, but when it did, Yumi's face fell.

"But I don't understand," Yumi said, starting to tear up, "This isn't how it's supposed to work. We're supposed to be together, I can feel it..."

It was here that Ulrich lost his patience.

"No," He said, channeling the sadness and anger she had put him through in their time together. "You think we're supposed to be together, but in reality, we will just end up fighting over something stupid, and the whole cycle will start over again. I need someone who is always there for me, who would help me get away with murder if I asked them to! I need a friend and a relationship, and you only seem to be capable of one or the other. I'm sorry, but i've changed. I want you as my friend, and nothing more.

"Away" Ulrich heard, but it didn't register until-

"GET AWAY!" Yumi screamed, causing Ulrich to take a step back. She wasn't bawling, not yet,but tears were streaming down her face.

And Ulrich knew that it would be best if he did what she said. But before he could even take one step, Yumi spoke.

"Who is she?" Yumi asked, trying to dry her eyes.

Ulrich was silently panicking. He wasn't ready to tell Yumi about Odd, but he refused to lie to her; there was only one hing he could say.

"It's a secret, but I think i'll tell you eventually." Ulrich said, knowing that his answer wouldn't go over well.

He didn't register that Yumi had moved until he felt the sting of her palm slapping his face. Still, he didn't shout, and didn't protest.

"How dare you," She said, looking at him with anger and sorrow. "How dare you say I have no right to know!" After all we've been through-" But Ulrich cut her off, saying

"You mean all of the pain, all of the times I saw you with William? All of the annoying times I sat and had to you listen to you attempt to make me jealous? What about all of the anger, all of the fights we've had? You're right, we've been through a lot. You've put me through a lot."

Here Ulrich stopped speaking, unsure of what to say next, but it only lasted for a moment.

Yumi, you've changed too. You've become vindictive and jealous. I don't think I even want to be friends with you right now.

Ulrich walked towards the cover in the sidewalk, opened it and began the long climb down. Just before he lowered his head into the manhole, he said

"Give me a call when you're ready. You need to do some more thinking, and find the real Yumi. Until then, i'll miss you."

And with that, the manhole cover slid shut.

The first thing Odd said when Ulrich walked back into the dorm room was "So who lost their temper first?"

Ulrich scowled and said "I did."

"So she was the picture of fairness?" Odd said, coming to sit on the bed next to Ulrich.

Ulrich laid back, legs dangling off the side, and turned his head towards Odd. Ulrich said "Well, not exactly. She had every right to be angry with me. In fact, we both acted like stupid overdramatic teenagers. That's not how I wanted it to go."

"I know," Odd said, getting up and moving to his side of the room. The truth was, he had known that it would end up something like this; at least he knew that some anger was going to be let out. But his job now was to be there for Ulrich. Yumi would have to wait.

Odd returned to Ulrich's side, this time laying down next to him. "I know it sucks," Odd said, shifting closer to Ulrich. "But we can't all be righteous angels of justice."

"I believe that honor is reserved for me." A familiar voice said from the still open door.

Ulrich and Odd both sat up to see Aelita and Jeremie standing in the doorway.

"Since it's almost curfew, I was go back to my room, but I wanted to see you guys first." Aelita said by way of explanation.

Jeremie said "We were pretty worried about you guys, especially when you didn't come back last night Ulrich."

Aelita moved into the room, and Jeremie followed behind her, they both sat on Odd's bed, and Aelita asked "So did you work it all out?"

Odd was about to reply when Ulrich began speaking.

Ulrich said "Yeah, we kind of made up. I still have a lot of things to figure out, but at least I'll have him by my side. Oh and you guys too."

Jeremie said "Thanks I think?" And simply looked confused, while Aelita let out a small gasp and smiled at Odd, who looked just as confused at Jeremie.

Aelita smiled and said, "I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but you two... you two look so cute together!"

Odd asked "How did you know?" at the same time Jeremie asked "What on earth is going on?"

Ulrich, Aelita and Odd watched in amusement as Jeremie's eyes slowly travelled down to the bed opposite him, where Odd's and Ulrich's hands had conveniently met only moments ago.

Jeremie was silent. He closed his eyes, pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath.

He then said "That explains quite a bit of the conversation last night and today, as well as your interactions over the past few days..."

Odd was confused and said "You're not surprised? Angered? Weirded out?"

"Well, i'm a bit surprised, but the only thing that i'm angry about is that I couldn't put two and two together."

Jeremie was silent for a few moments before he said. "We can't help who we love you know. Be it a girl, another guy, or even... Oh, I don't know, a virtual girl who may have never came back to the real world?"

Everyone chuckled, then Jeremie and Aelita stood up to go back to their rooms. But before they could, someone else entered the room.

Everyone was silent as Yumi looked at them. It was obvious that she had been crying for a while, but now she just looked sad and strangely, embarrassed.

Odd's and Ulrich's hands had separated the moment she had entered the room; neither of them wanted that additional strain to be put on their friendships.

But Ulrich stood up and stood in front of Yumi, mirroring her emotions.

Ulrich said "We were both kind of immature back there..." at the same time Yumi said "We were both kind of stupid back there..."

Yumi then said, still looking embarrassed "We shouldn't do that to each other. We've been... friends for a while, so we know how to really get under each other's skin.

Ulrich started to speak, but Yumi said "Please don't interrupt." and he fell silent.

She resumed speaking, saying "I'm going to be honest: whether as a friend, or a boyfriend, I want you to be in my life. You've been a really good friend to me over the years, and I don't want to lose that. Can we be friends for now?

Ulrich knew that he would have to break it to her eventually, but he didn't want to rock the boat anymore than he had already, so he just nodded.

Odd however, was not okay with that. He really didn't want to use this word, but he was feeling possessive. Besides, she was going to find out eventually, so...

Yumi was saying "And whenever you want to tell me who you're dating, I promise I won't get mad. I would like to know, though."

Odd got off the bed and came to stand beside Ulrich. Odd said "Well, it's funny you should ask that Yumi."

Ulrich realized what Odd was going to say, and tried to silence the blonde without being too conspicuous.

Odd said "You happen to know the person he's dating..." Ignoring the bruise Ulrich was giving him from squeezing his wrist.

Odd said "This person loves to have fun, and is always ready for an adventure..." Now ignoring the liberal pressure being applied to his foot by Ulrich.

"Not to mention, they're extremely attractive; not too hall, athletic body, great sense of humor..." Odd said, now getting up and looking at her, as Ulrich had body checked him moments ago.

Yumi was getting annoyed, and said "Okay, so who is it? There are only a few really athletic girls in the whole school. Really though, Odd, whoever it is you sound like you do when you talk about yourself!"

"BINGO!"

And Odd grabbed Ulrich and kissed him right in front of Yumi.

Yumi was dumbfounded for only a moment, and then started laughing. But her laughter slowly died down as she noticed that instead of screaming at Odd and calling him a weirdo, Ulrich was blushing bright red... And they were holding hands... And Odd was staring at her with a completely serious expression.

He wasn't joking.

The realization came crashing over her and she put a hand on the doorframe for support.

Then an even bigger realization came crashing over her, one that actually forced her to sit down on the floor.

She wasn't angry.

She was annoyed and heartbroken, shocked and saddened, but she wasn't angry at Odd or Ulrich.

She put her head in her hands and leaned against the doorframe.

At the same time, everyone else in the room was silent. Odd and Ulrich stared at her, Odd feeling slightly guilty about what she had done. Jeremie and Aelita were both just hoping that the group wouldn't be shattered.

The room stayed that way for several minutes, no one daring to make a sound.

Finally, Yumi looked up at them all. She carefully stood up and moved towards Ulrich.

Ulrich stiffened, not knowing what to expect, but he was still surprised when Yumi hugged him.

Yumi said "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

Ulrich rolled his eyes and said "That's an understatement."

Yumi stepped back and said "Well, that's it then.

She then looked at Odd and said "Don't get me wrong. I'm heartbroken, and i'm also kind of jealous of you Odd." Odd looked at her in bewilderment as she continued. "So before I leave, I just want to say one thing."

She looked at the both of them, and noticed how Ulrich was comforted by holding Odd's hand, and how he wasn't shirking away from the prolonged contact. He was happy, and even though she felt like she was heartbroken, she could already feel herself picking up the pieces. And so, it was in all honesty that she said "I want you to know that I support you, and that our friendship is too strong to be broken by this. Both of you mean a lot to me. I just need a little bit of time..."

Aelita said as she moved towards the door "I know it hurts now, but i'm here for you."

Jeremie said "So am I." and moved to stand beside Aelita.

Odd said "Even though i'm probably the last person you want to hear this from right now, I'm there for you too Yumi."

Yumi turned around without another word, and walked out of the room. But before she walked down the hall, she looked at Odd and muttered something.

Odd leaned towards her and asked "Could you repeat that?"

"I said, if you ever hurt him I'll destroy you."

and with that Yumi walked down the hall and through the door to the stairwell.

After a moment, Aelita and Jeremie said goodnight and departed for their rooms as well.

Odd shut the door and turned towards Ulrich with a big smile on his face.

"Well, I think that went well, don't you?"

Ulrich moved towards him, their faces only separated by an inch. He said "If you ever pull something like that again, I'll use you for sparring practice."

Odd gulped and said "Okay...", but didn't move away.

Ulrich smiled slightly and said, this is still kind of new, so bear with me okay?"

Odd began to say "What?", but was silenced when Ulrich kissed him. On the lips. With no encouragement or effort on Odd's part required.

Ulrich broke the kiss after a few seconds and said "Well?"

Odd just smiled, tears of happiness starting to fall, and said "It... No, you are perfect."

Ulrich smiled, feeling free for the first time in his life, and Odd laughed and said "Come on. I'm ready for bed."

And for a long time after the lights were out, both boys laid in their beds awake, the measure of their happiness known only to themselves and to each other.

So this is it.

At over six thousand words, this is the longest chapter that I have ever written; this story is also the longest piece of fiction that I have written and intend to finish. Thank you to all my followers for sticking with this story throughout the years, and thank you to the many people who have given me motivation on this site. I ask that whether this is your first or seventh millionth story, you take the time to leave me a review of this chapter. Look for the epilogue by the end of July. It will be short, but it will bring this entire journey to a satisfying end.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this.


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